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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26431948">Slices of Adventure</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchWithWifi/pseuds/WitchWithWifi'>WitchWithWifi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Crazy or Impressive [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, College, Crazy or Impressive 'verse, Gen, They are best friends only, season 3 who?, slices of life</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:00:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,256</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26431948</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchWithWifi/pseuds/WitchWithWifi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Companion to Crazy or Impressive. Mostly short stories that take place after the end of the main story. Partly focused on the gang as they grow up and discover the world outside of Hawkins, but mostly on the Steve and Max's friendship as they both become adults, one who stays in Hawkins and one who leaves.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Harrington &amp; Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Steve Harrington/being a dad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Crazy or Impressive [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/904800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Slices of Adventure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I can't believe I'm adding to this 'verse more than two years after I closed the curtains, but I couldn't help it. I missed them. I started writing a collection of fall and holiday-themed stories and intend to publish them over the next few months. This one is about Steve dropping Max off as she starts her freshman year of college. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Okay, that’s the last of it.” Max wedged her duffle bag into the tiny space between a box and the roof of Steve’s car.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Steve was just locking up the house behind her. “And this?” He threw her backpack towards her and she caught it with a huff. “Do you think you have enough stuff?” He eyed the boxes that filled his car to the brim. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max rolled her eyes and swung into the passenger seat. “You can’t judge me when you’re practically forcing me to bring my own kitchen.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Those student kitchens are empty and useless.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I have a meal plan.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Steve shook his head and started the car. “I have it on good authority that fighting demo dogs is preferable to eating dining hall food.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max laughed. “Dustin’s complaining does not count as good authority.” She twisted in her seat as she said this, to watch their little home grow smaller as they drove away. Past the shed they had built this summer, where her bike was currently sitting. They had made plans to repaint the house, but never got around to it. The brown was peeling off the sides. She wondered if Steve would paint the house by himself. She hoped not.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> They pulled out on to the main road. After some adjusting and casual bickering, they found a radio station they both liked enough to let play. Max drummed her fingers on her knee, and Steve asked her to check the atlas at least five times to make sure they were going in the right direction. They were both anxious, but they showed it in different ways.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> College. It wasn’t something Max had seen herself doing when she was younger, but when Northwestern approached her with a scholarship offer for track and field, she accepted on the spot. Combined with her academic scholarship it was practically a full ride. Steve had been over the moon when she told him. All of their friends showed up at Max and Steve’s place that night to celebrate, and ended up staying the night for a long-overdue sleepover. Max woke up to the smell of waffles, and picked her way around the pile of sleeping boys to see El and Steve working the waffle maker with frightening synchronicity. The breakfast was just as good as the company, even if it made her a little sad that they would all be leaving soon, scattered like leaves in the breeze.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> And now here she was, letting her brother drive her three hours across the state to Northwestern University, to play track and field and study… well, something. Max still had time to figure it out.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Steve kept double checking with her to make sure she packed every thing, even though they were now over an hour and a half away. “That little tote thing for the shower? And flip flops- you do <em>not</em> want to touch the grossness of those floors.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Yes and yes.” Max tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice. With the way he was acting, one would think he was about to send her off to war, not school. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Hmm… Your boots? I know you’ll probably come back before it snows but just in case-“</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Steve, I saw you put them in the box labelled “Just in case”.” She reminded him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He nodded, flickering a brief, half smile at her. “Oh. Right.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max felt concern wash over her as she took in his attitude. “Steve,” She placed a hand on his shoulder. He risked another glance at her. He was looking away from the empty road when she assured him, “It’s only three hours.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The lines in his forehead faded a little, and he used one hand to gently chuck her on the chin. “I know. I’m just going to miss you. But you are going to have an amazing time.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max smiled and squeezed his shoulder before dropping her hand. “I’ll miss you too.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> ***</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> One of the perks of being an athlete was early move-in. The process of getting her keys was over in five minutes. The parking lot outside of her residence hall was practically empty.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Steve popped the trunk and let out a dramatic sigh. “Three flights of stairs. I hope you’ve been lifting this summer, little red.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max ducked around his arm to pick up a box that she knew would be light. “Why would I, when I have a deputy to carry things around for me?” The air outside was hot and humid. Max could already feel her hair sticking to her neck and made a mental note to tie up her curls when they made it upstairs.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Steve laughed and flexed for her. “You’re gonna be missing these when you need to haul all of your books up those stairs.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max was already walking away. “I can’t wait to introduce you to this fascinating new thing called an elevator. Truly magical.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Her room was unsurprising. Two beds, two desks, and two dressers. Cement walls, painted over in white. Cold linoleum floors. Her roommate Ann, hadn’t arrived yet, so Max claimed the bed closest to the door. Old habits. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Between the two of them, Steve and Max had most of her things up in half an hour. They were just making her bed when the door opened, and a young woman with brown hair and blunt bangs poked her head into the room. “Hi, uh,” She looked down at a piece of paper in her hand. “Max?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max smiled and hopped down from the bed. “Yep. Are you Ann?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> A relieved smile spread across the girl’s face. “Yeah. It’s nice to meet you.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “You too.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Ann stepped into the room, opening the door wider. Two people, a man and a woman, followed her in. The woman had the same hair as Anne, while the man had her brown eyes. Clearly, these were her parents.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “This isn’t too bad.” Ann commented, setting her box on the empty bed. “Way bigger than the pictures made it seem.” Max made a noise of agreement.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “These are my parents, by the way.” She added, and Max found herself shaking hands with Barbara and George Perkins. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Hi, I’m Max, although you probably know that by now.” She said, earning a laugh from the parents. “And this is Steve.” She gestured to her brother, who simply waved merrily at them as he smoothed down Max’s bedspread. Barbara had a polite smile on her face while George’s brow furrowed.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “It’s nice to meet you both. Are your parents here?” Barbara asked. It wasn’t an invasive question. In fact, it was practically hypothetical. Whose parents wouldn’t be helping their kid move in to their college dorm for freshman year?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Ah, no.”Max hadn’t prepared for this. She should have, but after living in Hawkins for so long, where everybody and their mother knew about Max’s life, she had never had to worry about explaining her situation. “No, she isn’t… Uh, she couldn’t make it. So, I have Steve here.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Barbara eyed the tall, clearly older man with floppy hair with suspicion. A man who was currently organizing her boots in a way he knew she would hate. “And Steve is your…?” She let the question trail off, curious but polite.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max took pity on them. “Brother.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Adopted.” Steve added from behind her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The couple’s faces melted into relieved smiles, and Max turned around to hide her laugh. She and Steve may have a more unconventional experience compared to everyone else, but they fought with each other and loved each other like blood siblings- sort of. Max could admit their fights were different than those of Mike and Nancy. Their bond was stronger because they had chosen each other as family, not been thrown together by something as accidental as genetics.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max and Ann chatted a little as they set up, their conversation supplemented by Ann’s parents and Steve. Steve, who had the entire Perkins family eating out of his palm within the hour. Max rolled her eyes as he charmed them with the “official” tales of his adventures in babysitting, and threw a pillow at him when he told the story of the first meal Max had tried to make alone to surprise him. She burned the chicken on the outside, but left it raw on the inside.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Admittedly, chicken cordon bleu was not the best recipe to try on my own, but I was in eighth grade! What the hell did I know?” She held up her hands to catch the pillow Steve chucked at her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Speaking of chicken, I am starving.” George touched his slightly round belly for emphasis. “Would you two like to join us for lunch?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Steve smiled apologetically. “I wish I could. I have to get back to Hawkins before the night shift starts. I think old man Humphrey has been digging for buried treasure out behind the general store, and tonight is the night I finally catch him.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “The entire space behind the general store is asphalt, so he isn’t making much progress.” Max supplied.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The Perkins laughed and bid them all goodbye on their way out, and then it was just Steve and Max again.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “When do you have to leave?” Max asked, hopping down from her perch on the bed. She started poking through empty boxes to make sure there wasn’t anything in them before she could break them down.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Steve checked his watch. “Twenty minutes, if I want to beat traffic.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max nodded, and felt a sudden tightness in her chest. They were really doing this. He was really leaving her here. “I’m going to miss you, you big idiot.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Steve stood up to help her with the boxes. “I’ll miss you, little idiot. Although, I can’t wait for my house to be quiet for the first time in five years.” His hair flopped over his face, obscuring it.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max rolled her eyes, and was about to bite back a cutting retort, when she heard him sniff. “Steve, are you crying?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “No.” He lied, and turned away to dab at his eyes. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Because if you start crying, I’m going to start crying.” She warned, though it was already too late. The feeling in her chest had spread, and that hot pressure behind her eyes meant tears were only moments away, no matter how hard she blinked.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I’m not crying. It’s allergies, your room is really dusty.” He managed in a wavering voice.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “We don’t have allergies.” The tears were dripping down her face in wet, hot droplets.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> In that same wobbling voice, he insisted, “Yes we do.” He turned around Max surged forward to wrap him in a tight hug. She buried her face in his shoulder and let herself cry it out. If she got it all out now, maybe missing him wouldn’t be as hard later. She didn’t feel embarrassed about it, because he was crying too, leaving dark tearstains on her t-shirt.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> It was a long minute before either of them were ready to pull away. When Max finally stepped back, she cleared her throat and reached up to adjust her ponytail. Steve pushed his hair back up to its unbelievable height and straightened his jacket. They made eye contact, and her brother offered her a solemn fist bump. Max accepted it, and a tiny smile threatened to break free.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> They didn’t need to threaten each other to “Speak of this to no one.” They both had a fierce desire to retain their “tough” labels, and any soft moments between them were never spoken of after they passed. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Max walked Steve out to his car. “Call me as soon as you get home. You have my dorm number, right?” She demanded.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Steve cracked a grin and opened his wallet to show where he had the number stored. “Duh. Don’t get arrested yet. But if you do, make sure it’s for something crazy. Otherwise the FBI won’t cover for you.” He was only half kidding and they both knew it.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Is freeing all of the lab animals here crazy enough?” She asked innocently.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He leveled a serious gaze at her. “Max.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She held her hands up. “Kidding! Kidding.” Mostly.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The sun was getting low, and it cast a lovely, golden light on everything it touched. Max used to hate sunset. She was afraid of the dark for so long. But now, she appreciated the beauty of the last rays of the sun afforded them. The campus looked aglow, and she felt a thrill of excitement shoot up her spine. She <em>lived</em> here, now.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Next great adventure.” Steve said, and she grinned up at her big brother.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Thanks for everything, Steve.” She hugged him again, just a quick tight squeeze, and let him get into his car.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He rolled down the window and leaned out. “I’ll see you at Thanksgiving kid. Love ya.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She waved as he started the engine. “Love you too. Weirdo.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Carrot top.” And with that, he was off, and Max was alone, officially.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> She waited until his car was out of sight to start walking back to her dorm. Maybe she would use this time to call El- on the normal telephone, just in case Ann or another stranger walked in. That was not a conversation she was ready- or legally allowed- to have.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Telekinesis and hell monsters and Russian agents. With all of that behind her, college didn’t seem so terrifying, even if she was facing it on her own. It was the next great adventure, and it was all hers.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Someone once asked me if Max and Steve were going to be a romantic couple, and my answer to that is an emphatic no. Platonic relationships, especially one like Max and Steve's, can be just as, if not more important than romantic relationships. These two are each other's rock, and family, and best friend. Platonic relationships are healthy, and I want to portray that here. :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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